White Flag
by love4funny
Summary: All it would take is a simple surrender...
1. Part 1

I'd really been only joking when I'd first suggested the idea of him doing this, merely searching for something clever to say back to one of his many odd, fairly daft comments that I, admittedly, had come to love. I hadn't at all meant for him to take it seriously, but, in his usual fashion, Connor had decided to completely disregard that most important factor, choosing instead to immediately get started on trying to satisfy that one half-serious whim of mine, something that, truth be told, meant absolutely nothing to me. I wouldn't have been the least bit insulted if he'd simply laughed off my comment, if he'd just decided to take it and file it away for use on some rainy day. But, quite apparently, that just wouldn't do for him. He wanted to do every possible thing that he could in order to make me happy, and I completely understood that, I did, as well as the reason behind it.

For the past few weeks, I'd been doing nothing but pushing away all of his efforts, never letting it get even half as far as we'd both like it to. And I'd managed to come up with a million excuses as to why I was being like this, but, so far, none of them had made any sense to even me. The most reasonable out of any of them, the only one that I was actually able to somewhat believe, was probably the one that could most easily be solved.

Past experience had given me an undeniable fear of jumping into things, of getting too involved too quickly. I'd never been the type to want to put an unreasonable amount of trust in someone when it had the possibility of ending badly, or whenever there was some open opportunity for me to get burned in the end.

And no matter how much I kept telling myself, again and again, that this was in fact Connor we were talking about, not some guy I'd just met or even someone I'd known only for a couple of weeks, but someone I'd known for a couple of _years_ by now, I just couldn't let myself put my guard all of the way down. I'd put up a set of walls, and, however much I hated it, some part of me, hidden somewhere in the back of my mind, was intent on making him put in the work to bring them crashing to the ground. And, no matter how hard he tried, that one little part of me just wouldn't ever let it be enough.

"Connor…" I called out his name in gentle protest, leaning back against the bathroom counter to watch him, finding myself amazed, almost annoyed, at the sheer amount of time he was taking to do everything, as he lit the candles one by one, setting them carefully in that one neat little row at the edge of the tub. He was trying so very hard, and it was all for me, which, however flattered it may have made me feel, was also largely contributing to the load of guilt that had been slowly building up at the pit of my stomach for what had to have been days by now. "Come on, you know you don't have to do this," I continued weakly, despite having already known, probably from the very start of all this, that all of my efforts would, without a doubt, be promptly dismissed by him.

He made his way slowly over to me, a small, sympathetic smile spreading slowly over his face, that one little dimple of his gradually becoming more and more prominent. "I know that." His voice was soft, comforting, like a lullaby in its own, making me want to just give in to him already, to stop putting up any sort of a fight, just go ahead and surrender to him. I wanted so badly to just lose myself in him, to, from this moment on, not have a single thing in my life except for him. "I _want_ to, okay?" He nodded his head a bit, as if to try and persuade me into agreeing with him, as if he really thought he needed to try and talk me into it.

"Are you sure?" I could already hear myself starting to give in, couldn't help but notice, over the course of only that one short question, my voice gradually becoming more and more fluid, all of the hesitation that had run so deep in me just a moment earlier quickly fading as I looked back into his eyes. I watched him as he gave a long nod. "I'm sure," he told me lightly, tentatively bringing his hand up to my cheek, running his thumb gently, so gently, back and forth over my cheekbone as he waited patiently for my reaction.

Finally I smiled appreciatively back at him, bringing my arms up around his shoulders, pulling him in closer to me until there wasn't a bit of space left between us. "Well…" I allowed myself a long pause, stopping for a moment to take in the feel of his body against mine, taking a second to realize just how good it truly felt to have his arms around me. It had been so long, too long, since Connor and I had been able to just _be, _since we'd had the opportunity to ignore the fact that anyone, except for the two of us, of course, even existed. Over the past few weeks, I'd all but forgotten the way it felt to have him so close to me, and, now that I'd been properly shaken into remembering, I didn't think I'd ever want to let it go again. I rested my chin on his chest, tilting my head in order to look up at him, if only for a moment. "Are you going to join me?"

His eyes flashed bright with a little glimmer of excitement, just for a second, before fading back to that now almost constant dullness that I couldn't help but feel principally responsible for, all of the hesitation coming quickly back to him, as if he didn't want to let himself get too excited. It was almost as if, by this point, he didn't want to let himself get into anything without already having prepared himself to be hurt by the end result. "Really?" He had brought his voice down to almost a whisper, his words unnaturally thick with pure disbelief, something that filled me with a sharp, nearly unbearable, pang of regret. "I mean, you- You really mean that?" God, I'd been such a _bitch_ towards him, from my clear reluctance to hold his hand when we went out together, to the obviously feigned excuses I gave for leaving the room whenever he tried to move anywhere past kissing me. Now he couldn't even bring himself to believe me when I really wanted to be with him.

"Yeah," I told him gently, offering him a small, tired smile, as if to reassure him, as much as I could, that I meant everything I was saying to him, before pulling his face down to mine, letting my lips meet his for a long, languid kiss, if only to let him know that I was still there for him, that I did indeed still care about him, regardless of the extent to which it seemed the exact opposite. "Yeah, Connor, I really do."

I watched as his whole face relaxed, his features slowly becoming more and more comfortable as he looked back at me. "Well, then…" His voice quivered a bit as he gave a small, warm laugh, brushing his lips gently over my forehead before finally bringing them down to mine for another quick peck. "I guess we'd better get you out of those, yeah?" His smile grew gradually wider as he looked appreciatively down at me, until it got to the point of being a full blown grin, his dimple deepening farther than I'd ever seen before.

"Maybe. Or…" I trailed off before I finally locked my eyes with his, slipping a hand under his shirt, finding myself loving the heat of his skin under my touch as I worked my way slowly up over his stomach and chest. The fingers of my other hand played eagerly with his buttons, already having undone the first, right above his belt, before I felt the need to give him a little nod. It was as if I felt I had to ask his permission before I continued, like there was some long forgotten obligation I'd set with myself to make sure I had his go-ahead before I took it any further. An obligation with myself that, curiously, I'd seemed to be able to pretty much ignore up until tonight. "Could I do you first?" I asked him quietly, pressing my lips gently against the base of his neck, bringing a soft line of kisses all the way up to the bottom of his chin.

He ran his hands gently over me, his thumbs teasing at the bottom of the tiny vest I was wearing, pushing up the hem again and again only so that he could smooth it slowly back down, his rough palms serving in stark contrast to my soft skin underneath them, like burlap on silk. "Now how could I say no to that?" he said quietly, almost in a mumble, bringing his mouth down close to my ear.

"Mmmmm." I couldn't help but let out a small, light laugh as I looked up at him, watching his face as I slipped my hands gingerly under his shirt. "Connor…" I said his name weakly as I worked at his buttons, running my fingers lightly over the creases of his torso, which, I had to admit, was slowly becoming more and more chiseled as time went on.

I watched him glance quickly down towards the floor as finally I finished with his shirt, leaving it where it fell in the middle of the tile. Soon after, he gave me a small nod to let me know that he was listening, offering me a little smile of encouragement. He reached up to sweep my hair out of my face, tucking any stray hairs back behind my ear, if only to prove to me that he had now given me his full and undivided attention. "What is it, love?" I couldn't help but notice that his eyes were full of worry, the deep, milky brown of his retinas seeming to churn right before my eyes. He wanted so badly for all of this to work out, for everything to turn out alright in the end, and I was almost surprised at just how much I wanted the very same things, the sheer extent to which I wanted to be able to give him that fairy tale ending we were both hoping for. And after these last few weeks, it would be pretty easy to say that I as much as owed it to him.

"I just…" I heard myself trail off, shaking my head faintly as I looked quickly over his body, as if in appraisal, letting my hands fall to the top of his jeans. I nimbly removed his belt, leaving it to become just one more article of clothing that would hit the floor before the night was over, before hooking my fingers through the belt loops of his jeans, using my newfound hold on him to pull his body closer to mine. "It's been too long," I admitted softly, unable to resist a smile as he started to stroke gently over my back, his fingers leaving thin trails of heat along my skin as he gently, and rather tentatively, worked off my vest.

He once again pressed his lips to my forehead, one of his hands coming to a rest at the small of my back, his thumb tracing endless little patterns over my skin. "I know, Abs," he agreed with me, in what was practically a whisper, his voice scarcely audible to anyone except for me. "I know it has."

I leaned hard against him, savoring the heat of his skin against mine, taking a moment just to take in the smell of him, drinking up everything about him as if this was the last time I would ever see him. I found myself taking so much care with him, trying so hard not to mess anything up. I wasn't taking any chances, it would be so easy to lose him now, and at a time like this, that was definitely the very last thing I wanted to do. Because, as far as I'd been from showing it to him before, I needed him. Pure and simple. There was no way I could live without him, and, in this moment, I was completely prepared to admit that.

* * *

><p><strong>Not done yet! :P Part 2 Coming Soon You Guys! :)<strong>


	2. Part 2

There was nothing I wanted more than for him to just hold me forever, to never let me go as long as we both lived. I wanted to simply melt into his arms, forget about everything except for the two of us, tune out the entire outside world so long as I had him. He was all I needed, all I wanted even, and I was nowhere near ready to let him go, nor did I ever think I would be.

A small gurgling sound came from the quickly filling tub on the other side of the room, reminding both of us of the main reason why we had even come in here in the first place. I detangled myself from his arms with a small sigh of resignation, the cooler temperature of the room immediately hitting me as I leaned away from the heat of his body, lifting my head slowly from his chest. "I should go check on that, yeah?" I gave him a small nod, bringing my lips up to his for a small peck before I started to turn away from him, taking his weak smile as a disinclined agreement.

I slowly crossed the room, making my way towards the tub, stopping for a minute to simply take a look around myself. I had to admit that it truly was beautiful in here. All the effort that Connor had put into getting the atmosphere and the mood just right, and not a bit of it was wasted. The candles cast soft shadows on the walls, giving everything an opaque, dream-like look, the smell of the burning wax slowly filling the room, starting to relax me before I was even in the bath, working wonders for my mood before I had even so much as tested the water. "This is amazing," I told him softly, seating myself at the edge of the tub, dragging my hand slowly over the surface of the water, smiling at all of the little ripples that trailed eagerly behind my fingers. _My god_. He'd even managed to get the temperature of the water just right. "You think so?"

"Yeah." I nodded encouragingly back at him, having to reach over myself to turn off the faucet at exactly the right moment. The tub was mere inches away from overflowing, just the way I'd always loved it, ever since I was a little girl. Somehow, those few more inches of water had always managed to give me the feeling of being able to swim away from it all if I really needed to, like I could just drown all of my worries and be rid of them forever, never have to see them ever again, after only a few short moments under the warm water. I never did manage to realize that they were always right there in front of me again as soon as I got out.

"You did a really good job," I reassured him, realizing that I had to stand up to wriggle more easily out of the jeans that I was wearing. They were far too tight for me and hard to get off even at the best of times, with me sitting down I knew they would have been near impossible.

I stayed standing where I was and watched him for a long moment, studying every inch of him, keeping my eyes locked on his for a few short seconds before finally I started to cross the room to meet him. I found myself reveling in the smile that had spread over his face, losing myself in the mere sincerity of it. He was so happy right now, and I'd done nothing more than simply give him a chance to get close to me.

I grinned sweetly up at him, having now made my way to right in front of him, just close enough to feel his warmth. "It's _almost_ perfect," I teased him gently, his dimple going in deeper and deeper as he started to think back over what I'd just said. I brought my lips slowly up to his, smiling as he leaned away to let out a small laugh, his breath warm and sweet as it hit my lips. "Really?" He'd brought his voice down to a whisper by now, his lips brushing softly over mine as he spoke, sending a nervous flutter through me, as if I had gone back to being a giddy teenager. I like to think that we both knew exactly what we were doing, that, by now, we were both thoroughly acquainted with what made the other tick. He wrapped an arm around my waist, his hand resting at the small of my back as he pushed me gently onto the counter behind us. "Only almost?"

A nod was all I could manage as I looked up at him, those deep brown eyes of his already starting to lull me into a state of submission, quietly trying to sway me towards completely giving in to him. I brought my arms up around his neck, pulling him ever closer to me, burying my head in his shoulder, as if trying to hide myself away from the whole rest of the world. For a short moment, I caught a quick glance of myself in the mirror next to us, noticing at once just how needy I looked, as if almost desperate for nothing more than his touch. It was almost too much for me to accept, and I should've hated it, should've shied away from the very thought of this, but somehow, I found myself not minding it in the least.

I slowly lifted my head from the heat of his shoulder, bringing my eyes up to meet his, offering him a small smile as I watched him look carefully over every inch of me. "Let me make it perfect for you then, okay, love?" he offered quietly, the mere sound of his voice already proving to me just how much he meant it. He trailed his hand slowly down my spine, a little shiver shooting through me as his fingers stroked lightly over my skin. "Just tell me what you want."

"Mmmmm." A small laugh fluttered through me as I reached up to run my fingers through his hair, working my way gently through all of the knots and tangles he'd acquired throughout the day, trying my very hardest not to hurt him too much. "The water's going to get cold," I reminded him softly as I leaned into him, pressing my forehead against his, waiting for a long moment before pushing myself easily from my perch on the counter into his arms.

He planted a small, sweet kiss at the top of my nose, his eyes immediately darting downwards as I slid the fingers of my one hand under the top of his jeans, the fingers of my other hand teasing at his zipper. "Is that okay?" I asked him quietly, looking expectantly up at him as I waited patiently for an answer. I knew, almost for certain, that he would, without a doubt, in a split second, say yes to anything I threw at him, but even still, after the past few weeks, I still felt the need to be careful.

He gave a long, slow nod, and I breathed in the laugh of agreement that escaped him, drinking it down as if he were the sweetest wine I'd ever tasted. I couldn't resist a smile as he brought his lips down to mine, giving me a small peck before reluctantly loosening his arms around me, just enough for me to be able to undo his zipper and slowly work off his jeans.

I found myself looking up at his face again and again, if only for nothing more than to check his reaction, as if testing the waters, trying to make sure I hadn't gone too far too soon. But, as I really should've been able to expect, every time I looked up, I saw nothing less than a contented smile, his head gradually tilting farther and farther back, his eyes closing after a moment as he started to finally relax, as it finally occurred to him that he could trust me, that I wasn't going to try and take any steps backwards from here. No. We both knew that from here on out, there was only room to move forward.

I let out a small laugh as I felt his fingers glide lightly along my spine, trailing softly over my skin, working their way slowly towards my bra strap, his eagerness just barely disguised by his timidity, his keenness muffled slightly by the caution that he was taking to make sure he didn't mess this up. I smiled softly to myself, taking a short moment to realize just how badly we both wanted this. "Abby," I heard him murmur softly into my ear, as if asking for my approval, pressing his lips gently against the skin of my neck as he awaited nothing more than my response.

Another little laugh escaped me, almost a giggle, as I took his face and brought it to mine, meeting my lips once again with his, as if I just couldn't get enough of him. "You know you don't have to ask," I told him softly. He seemed almost surprised at this, stopping for a moment to simply stare at me in disbelief, as if he just couldn't accept the fact that I was really allowing him to get this close to me. "Connor, I want you to," I reassured him, working my fingertips down his chest and stomach, slowly nearing the waistband of his boxers.

Those few words turned out to be the only thing that he was still waiting for, and soon after I'd said them, he finally found his confidence with me, no longer afraid of my pulling away, finally having broken away from the fear of once again falling back to square one. His hands were all over me, rough and slightly clumsy, as he smoothed his palms over the soft curves of my body, taking his time to remove the rest of what I had on, which was nothing more than a bra and knickers.

We moved slowly towards the tub, tripping over one another as if drunk, planting soft kisses on each other all during the few short seconds it took us to finally settle down into the warm water. The tub proved itself to be more than big enough for the two of us, leaving us with more than enough room to be comfortable.

I was finding that all of this felt almost like a dream, like a happy ending that everyone knew would never be able to last. I almost didn't want to believe how far we'd come in little more than a half an hour, how quickly we'd gone from barely wanting to trust each other to the complete opposite.

Connor held me in his arms, as if to protect me, my head resting softly on his chest as we lay together in the warm water, the row of candles flickering calmly to the right of us, never once losing that one thing that kept them going. Every few minutes, he'd take the time to bring his lips to mine, like he wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to try and go anywhere. His kisses were soft, sweet, each one of them causing me to fall for him that much more.

"My god." His words came out as a long sigh, his chest rising and falling under me with the deep breath he took. I turned my head to him, resting my chin on his chest so that I could look up at him, bringing my fingers up to run them over the cold, worn chain around his neck. "What?" The slightest hint of a laugh showed through my voice, letting me know that right now, I was entirely content, without a care in the world, so long as I had Connor next to me.

He laughed softly, putting his hand over mine before lifting it slowly to his lips. "Is there any way for me to tell you how gorgeous you are without it sounding like a come-on?" He held my hand by his lips, tilting his head slightly to look at me through a few strands of hair that had flopped over into his face.

I looked appreciatively back at him, knowing damn well that there was no way I'd be able to resist him at a time like this, those eyes of his already working towards leaving me absolutely mesmerized. "I really don't think I'd much mind a come-on right now." There was no way for me to hide my grin as I snuggled deeper into his arms, watching as a slow smile spread over his face, his dimple deepening right in front of my eyes. _No_. I joked silently with myself. _I wouldn't at all mind a come-on right now_.

He took a moment to move his eyes across each of my features, tightening his arms around me, tracing his fingers softly over the small of my back. "Well, then, you're gorgeous, darling." His voice had dropped down to a whisper, one little detail which somehow managed to leave me that much more fascinated by him, making me almost giddy at just the sound of his voice in my ear.

I smiled up at him, knowing that right now, I was finally letting myself surrender to him, that at last he'd managed to knock down those walls that, up until now, just hadn't wanted to come down. Tonight, right now, as we shared a warm bath, as he held me in his arms, we were really, truly, happy. And the only thing I'd had to do was let him in.

THE END


End file.
